Yousef M. Alhamdan

Research

I'm broadly interested in theoretical computer science, in particular approximation algorithms, computational complexity and quantum computing.

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Some quotes about TCS/Science:

• "Theoretical computer scientists, like their counterparts in physics, suffer and benefit from a high level of intellectual machismo. They believe they have some of the biggest brains around, which they need to think about some of the hardest problems. Like mathematicians, they prove theorems and doubt the seriousness of those who don't. Lately, however, theoretical computer scientists have sought the help of physicists in understanding quantum mechanics, a hard part of physics which they now believe has a great significance for their own field." Charles H. Bennett in Nature, 2000. Here is the article.

• "One of the most characteristic activities of science (any kind of science) is to try to separate complex things into their simplest component parts.This intellectual 'divide and conquer' helps us to understand complicated processes and solve difficult problems." Charles C. Pinter in A Book of Abstract Algebra, p.80.

• "P versus NP - a gift to mathematics from computer science" Stephen Smale, Mathematics and Computation by Avi Wigderson, p.1.

• "I suggest that you take the hardest courses that you can, because you learn the most when you challenge yourself [...] CS 121 [CS 121 is an introduction course of theoretical computer science to undergraduate students] I found pretty hard" Mark Zuckerberg, this taken from a lecture about Facebook and computer science, on 7 December, 2005. I read this quote first from Boaz Barak in his book "Introduction to Theoretical Computer Science", p.19.

• "Theory [...] is relevant to you because it shows you a new, simpler, and more elegant side of computers, which we normally consider to be complicated machines. The best computer designs and applications are conceived with elegance in mind [...] Theory is good for you because studying it expands your mind." Michael Sipser in his well-known testbook Introduction to the Theory of Computation, p.xi

• "It is more important to understand well what you know than to know a lot. Successful research comes from having a good understanding, especially of the basics." Mihir Bellare in The Ph.D Experience.

Publication 

• Approximability and Inapproximability for Maximum k-Edge-Colored Clustering Problem

          Yousef M. Alhamdan and Alexander Kononov

 ​​​​​​         ​CSR 2019, Novosibirsk, Russia.

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Teaching Assistant (undergraduate)

in 2018, I completed a master degree in Discrete Mathematics and Combinatorial Optimization programme at the Novosibirsk State University, in Russia where I was happy to be supervised by Alexander Kononov. Before that, in 2016, I completed a master degree in Computer Science at the Ritsumeikan University in Japan where I was supervised by Shigeru Yamashita. I got my undergraduate degree in Computer Science from King Saud University, in Saudi Arabia in 2011.

Lecturer in Computer Engineering Department,

College of Computer and Information Systems, 

Umm Al-Qura University.

ymhamdan (at) uqu.edu.sa

Seminars